Mary, Mary · Chapters

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Chapter companions for Mary, Mary by James Stephens.

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Chapter 1
Dedication
The book is dedicated to Bethel Solomons, M.B.
Chapter 2
Mary, Mary
Mary Makebelieve reflects on her life and her mother's dreams for her, while navigating the harsh realities of poverty in Dublin. She lies about her mother's work to maintain appearances, and her mother falls ill, forcing Mary to take over her work. The chapter explores Mary's internal conflict between fantasy and reality, her mother's aspirations for her to marry well, and the beginning of her entanglement with a policeman.
Chapter 3
I
Mary Makebelieve lives with her mother in a cramped, grimy top-floor room in a Dublin back street. Her mother, a charwoman, escapes her harsh reality by pretending they are rich, dreaming of grand houses, servants, and fine dresses. Mary loves her mother deeply, despite her mother's overwhelming and sometimes painful displays of affection.
Chapter 4
II
Mary Makebelieve's daily routine is depicted, from lighting a difficult fire each morning to sharing breakfast in bed with her mother, who talks incessantly about past events, future errands, and elaborate plans for improving their room. After her mother leaves, Mary returns to bed, then tidies up and spends her days walking the streets or sitting in St. Stephen's Green Park, where she observes the ducks and eels, imagines stories about the flowers, and later shops along Grafton and O'Connell Streets. In the evenings, she and her mother watch theatergoers and invent plots from the posters, with Mary talking most at night and her mother most in the morning.
Chapter 5
III
Mary Makebelieve reflects on her mother's romanticized visions of marriage and wealth, contrasting them with the grim reality of their lives. She begins to see marriage as a factual necessity rather than a fairy tale, and develops a curious, naive attraction to men, wondering about the nature of male-female relations. A question about whether her mother was ever struck by a man provokes an intense, unexplained emotional outburst.

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Dedication

Mary, Mary

I

II

III